Great Hearts to appeal denial of charter application to state education board

Created 07/05/2012 - 3:47pm

After being denied twice by the Metro school board, charter school operator Great Hearts Academies plans on appealing its case to the state.

Great Hearts’ CEO Daniel Scoggin and Chief Academic Officer Peter Bezanson sent an email to supporters yesterday saying they were “pleased to announce that Great Hearts Academies will appeal to the State of Tennessee for approval of our charter application to Metro Nashville Public Schools.” The charter group executives said they would file the appeal with the state this week.

In the email, Scoggin and Bezanson point out that Metro Nashville Public Schools’ review committee recommended approval of their application, even though the board voted to deny them. The board had concerns about diversity and limited transportation options[1] for low-income students even after Great Hearts revised their application.

The State Board of Education will hear Great Hearts’ appeal. So far this year, six schools across the state have successfully appealed to the SBE, while three decisions to deny charters were upheld, according to board minutes.

If approved by the SBE, Great Hearts said they plan to open its first Nashville school in August 2014.